A broad topic: What are the all-time best British TV series or even individual programs? Perhaps also what have you spent the most in buying copies/downloads for?

I might have to choose Foyle's War for my all-time personal favorite (and I have most of the seasons on DVD), although I lose a bit of interest after war's end.

The Lotus Eaters '70s series with Ian Hendry and Wanda Ventham set in Greece is another favorite, complete set stuff for me. Don't think it';s been on region 1 though.

I wish there were more of Peter Cook & Dudley Moore's various programmes in existence. What there is of Not Only... But Also is great to have and I've supplemented it with some of the LPs derived from their shows back then, plus a really treasured The Misty Mister Wisty of solo Cook.

I also have an assortment of vintage children's shows, most treasured being The Sooty Show with original puppeteer-magician Harry Corbett. You can see some of these on Youtube, they are a marvel! His son took it over in the '70s and it became a bit more anarchic. A third fellow who does it these days does a good job too. Probably an acquired taste situation but I am still mad for Sooty (and Sweep). I also love the original outer space situated The Clangers from Oliver Postgate who did many other original series such as Bagpuss, Americans may have seen the new William Shatner narrated Clangers which is definitely in the original spirit (well done). Hector's House, which is a bit like The Magic Roundabout, is another short and silly puppet series I'm as dotty as an old spoon for!

I think in terms of buying Doctor Who must rank easily the top as there have been so many releases over decades. Probably Emmerdale Farm/Emmerdale is my runner-up, a rural soap, having gone so far as to import the Finnish series of DVDs (now that's devotion). A sci-fi soap Jupiter Moon that ran on satellite services in the circa '89-'91 got to me enough I ended up buying all that came out on U.K. DVD... it's since shown up on region 1. I also have some vintage Coronation Street even though I gave up on the show for good in modern times.

For singe programmes there is the landmark Abigail's Party. I'd have to rate it first, but there was also The Flipside Of Dominick Hyde and Another Flip For Dominick, two of the best non-series science fiction pieces outside of individual Out Of The Unknowns.

I could really go on and on, but hopefully others will have some favorites to share that will overlap?

MY BF has complete runs of The Prisoner, UFO and Space:1999, plus some kind of Monty Python big box and Policeman's Balls set, also 'All 'Allo. He's very keen on Steptoe & Son too but has LPs of their stories rather than the videos (they don't have region 1s I guess is why and I'm afraid to get him started on region 2s like I have. He has all The Black Adder and some Red Dwarf. I've got him interested in Upstairs Downstairs again too, luckily the set of this was region 1.

I've only seen one Call The Midwife from start to finish and that's the first one, but it seems like the kind of series I really like (and it's fun to see Jenny Agutter in a habit). A Canadian channel started running it again from last night and I'm going to try to follow it properly this time around.

A somewhat similar show that doesn't seem to have gotten notice is WPC 56 about one of the first women's police constables in England (I actually had someone in my family who lived this in Yorkshire). These are based on some books, a bit like Heartbeat, but I found the first series very enjoyable but the second one not so much for a variety of reasons... mainly the actors had to change so a lot of the characters you get to know in the first series are lost for the second, and the sound for some reason was a lot muddioer if more realistic, something I really dislike. So series 1 is a must buy if you see it at a reasonable price I think.

The supernatural Afterlife series has run on some N. American channels but I bought the DVDs anyway. So far two seasons and I think it's great!

For newish comedy I think Vicious was a lot of fun; wonderfully eccentric characters headlined by Ian MacKellan and Derek Jacobi. Did Balthazar the dog ever move or make a noise? A bit like Ab Fab, darlings.

THE OFFICE - The original is far superior to the American remake. I love how short it is and the finale gets me every time.

LIFE ON MARS - It's fantastic. We didn't ever get ASHES TO ASHES (at least to my knowledge, maybe I missed it), but I think it would be equally memorable.

THE AVENGERS - Particularly the Peel years.

PRIME SUSPECT - Genre defining.

THE FALL - Still have to catch up with it, but that first season was amazing. Couldn't do half of what it did on network television.

KILLING EVE - Can we include BBC America? If so, this recent entry immediately jumps to the top. Stylish. Cunning. Subversive. Excellent television.

DOWNTON ABBEY - Those first three seasons were dramatic gold.

BLACK MIRROR - The first worthy successor to THE TWILIGHT ZONE. Compelling one-and-done stories that continue to make you think long after you've turned your TV off for the night.

THE PRISONER - Mentioned in an off-hand way, but I think it deserves a full-on acknowledgement. No matter what you think of the finale (that's a discussion for another thread entirely) the series itself is phenomenal.

I've never even heard of The Black Mirror! Exciting to know there's still something to find out about. Definitely sounds like my kind of show too.

Prime Suspect and The Bill were great as well, I'm a bit like that old Elvis Costello song, I watch the detectives... just started a new series of Happy Valley the Seattle PBS station is airing, not sure if it's series 2 or 3 though actually. I recognize various faces from itv soaps in this one (besides the lead). Wherever they are there are some accents like on my grandad's side. Bradford was mentioned once so I guess around there (Bramley, West Leeds has that side of the family's names on a bunch of streets).

I did like Broadchurch 1 & 2, but it might be too influential as there seem to be a lot of things in that style coming out, like Mayday. I could get tired of that like all the Downton Abbey type programmes (I bailed on Downton and Mr. Selfridge after a couple series each).

I'll have to finally give Alan Partridge a try, I've known about it for awhile. There was a great comedy titled simply Hippies with Simon Pegg (of Spaced) set in late '60s Notting Hill Gate which I absolutely loved, but only one series of it as Pegg became very very busy.

I had a thing for watching It Ain't Half Hot Mum for awhile, seems to be along the broad lines of Are You Being Served and Dad's Army, but I think they won't ever show it in America because it's sort of politically incorrect/dated seeming, though I think it's fine as the minorities in the far east in the past are generally smarter than the white soldier types. Hi De Hi won't get shown because they never had these budget holiday camps here I don't think. Open All Hours is another old favorite though dated, and at least they have run it here a few times.

Matt, you didnít get AHES TO ASHES? Oh man, you really missed out. Do you know what happened? No spoilers but what was interesting for me was that the last episode aired the same weekend as the last episode of LOST.

One was atrocious & one was a brilliant pay off. Ashes won by a country mile.

I avidly watched I, Claudius and Yes Minister/Prime Minister so long now I'd almost forgotten about them; they deserve to be among the roll of the very best. I, Claudius would've been the first place I saw Patrick Stewart, who could have imagined he'd become the Charles Xavier back then! Then again, who could imagine not just one but several X-Men movies...

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